Almaviva 2020
Rothschild / Concha y Toro, 750 ml
| Grape variety: | Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot |
| Producer: | Dom. Baron de Rothschild & Concha y Toro |
| Origin: | Chile / Valle Central / Maipo |
| Other vintages: |
Description
Deep, concentrated garnet colour with pleasing black nuances. Nose dominated by characteristic touches of wild berries and cedar with a vanilla element. A big wine bursting with ripe fruit, it is well structured and balanced, supported by the firm tannins that give a long, complex finish. A complex, elegant wine with ageing potential. With a label that symbolises a vision of the earth and the cosmos, this wine succeeds in creating a link between two cultures.
Attributes
| Origin: | Chile / Valle Central / Maipo |
| Grape variety: | Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot |
| Ripening potential: | 3 to 15 years |
| Drinking temperature: | 16 to 18 °C |
| Food Pairing: | Châteaubriand, Filet Wellington, Goulash, boeuf bourguignon, Roast saddle of venison, Rabbit ragout with olives |
| Vinification: | fermentation in steel tank, soft pressing |
| Harvest: | hand-picking, in several rounds (tries) |
| Maturation: | in new barriques |
| Volume: | 14.0 % |
| Note: | Contains sulphites |
Petit Verdot
Bordeaux’s secret weapon
It is commonly said that the Petit Verdot originated in Bordeaux. But genetically, it is closer to a group of vines from near the Pyrenees, which are most likely descended from wild clematis. In French, these wild plants are called “lambrusques”, and the Petit Verdot is also known under the synonym Lumbrusquet. It is a high quality grape: very dark and spicy with notes of cassis and graphite, plenty of robust tannins and strong acidity. Most major Bordeaux contain a small proportion of Petit Verdot. Appropriately, it is valued wherever wines are produced according to the Bordeaux recipe. For example, in Italian Maremma or in California, where it covers the largest area worldwide. It is almost never vinified purely by itself. Incidentally, its name, derived from “vert”, meaning green, alludes to its Achilles heel: in cool weather it tends to form small, seedless green grapes.
Maipo
Maipo Valley: Seat of wine-nobility
Wealthy landowners laid the foundations for today’s Chilean wine wonder. Most of them set up grand estates south of the city in the 19th century, where, along with horse-breeding, wine cultivation has long been carried out. Today, these residences and their legendary vineyards have been enveloped by the city as it expands outward into the countryside. But many of the most prestigious Chilean red wines still originate here. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Syrah are the area’s leading varieties.
Valle Central
Valle Central: the heart of Chilean viticulture
Valle Central comprises the four most important wine-growing areas in Chile. It starts in the southern outlying districts of the capital, Santiago, and stretches around 400 kilometres to the south, ending at the city of Parral. Red Bordeaux varieties occupy over 70 percent of total vineyard area. Depending on how strongly the particular microclimate is influenced by the cool influence of the Andes or the Pacific, stylistically varied wines result. Specialties like Carménère, Syrah and Carignan are gaining ground.
Chile
Chile – Where fortune came from tragedy
Wine-growing in Chile was born less out of economic reasons than lifestyle. Like the rest of the world, its aristocratic landowners admired everything that came out of France. They imitated French culture, built their haciendas in French architectural styles, and took trips to France. In 1851, the first French vines were brought back and formed the basis for producing quality wines.
